


Sergeant Sensei

by greedypain



Category: Original Work
Genre: Drugs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Japanese Culture, Mecha Armies, Military Science Fiction, Older Woman/Younger Man, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, School, School Life, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-10 11:18:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5583793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greedypain/pseuds/greedypain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the era of advanced technology, a drug lord intends to commandeer the world of its independence, rights, and prosperity through the creation of humanoid mechanical weapons known as TITANS. The only person who knows of the man's secrets is a blind teacher who trusts little of men and bound to a dark fate, Murphy's Law. With the world in danger, Kazuma must go undercover to uncover these secrets while juggling with Calculus homework and a simple, school life. </p><p>Andromeda finds little worth in life, struggling to fight her Murphy's Law to live a future with her precious daughter, Athena. When fate decides to take away her future from her blind hands, she must draw a scornful courage to fight back. With too much problems on her hands, she doesn't need a flirtatious high school student to be one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> THIS FICTION IS RATED FOR EXPLICIT ADULT CONTENT. As of this moment, progression through this story will turn 'dark' as well as 'light-heartedly' rated for readers over the age of 17. This warning is established first as a precaution for those who did not intend to start down this path of wayward dramas. There will be other warnings to give a good, general idea of the chapters.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and please enjoy.

"Ms. Tagemi, have you ever been in a domestic violence?" The woman listens to the question asked of her. Silently in a humdrum tap, the pencil smacks against the thin surface of the notebook paper. She can hear the clock tick away at each second that she remains silent. She did not know how to answer the question. "Andromeda-chan, have you ever been in a domestic violence? May it be mother, father, brother, or sister?" The woman asks with more firmness to her tone. Her eyes now wonder downwards as if she desires to sink in the protection of the red carpet flooring. Her fingers entwine each other as she nervously fiddles with them. The sinking feelings in her gut hits rock-bottom when she finally swallows the lump in her throat.

'You can't run from me. No matter how far you go, I'll always find you.' The icy chill of a dark, husky voice whispers in her ear. It causes goosebumps to run down her spine until her stomach does a somersault. If his words truly hold the same malice as his actions, then there is no other way for her to hide from this nightmare. Despite her struggles to break the chains of his cruel tyranny, he continues to haunt her waking moments. She does not want to have to constantly check over her shoulder if there will be a shadow following her, or even the source of her troubles. She does not want to constantly make sure that the three locks on every entrance were secured. She did not want to constantly hold her child and sense the bedroom door, making sure that the boogeyman would not return. No, she'll hide forever if it means that he will no longer intrude into her life.

"Ms. Tagemi." The woman's voice breaks her train of thought and causes her to stiffen in shock. "Ms. Andromeda, please. It would be most beneficial for you if you would please cooperate with us." This time, she hears the woman soften her expression to show empathy for her. With courage, the woman opens her lips. 'No more. I cannot run anymore.' She fills her lungs with air, feeling it cut slightly. It is painful to admit this, but she will have to endure this pain especially for her daughter. "Yes," She whispers. "From my husband."

"Ms. Tagemi," The woman writes down Andromeda's response, staring at her with a grave expression. "As a disabled woman, this is a critical matter we are discussing here. Based on these given police reports, you have denied any domestic violence against you. If you would, can you tell me when this has started?" The woman lowers her gaze again, clutching her fisted hands even tighter. "Two years ago. It happened a year after our marriage." She feels tears brimming along her lower eyelid. Many people have said that the first year of marriage is the honeymoon stage, but she did not realize that the second year was hell. When the neighbors have reported strange noises at their household, she must deny all claims in order for her husband to guarantee her safety as well as that of their daughter.

"Two years ago, Ms. Tagemi? Then, have you been blind your entire life?" Andromeda cringes at the spoken word. She never wants to be reminded about her disability, but it is something that cannot be avoided. She trusts the man she married to always be her seeing eyes, yet she was not only physically blind; She fails to see his true character. "No," The woman exclaims, touching the burn marks on her face surrounding her eyes. "I lost my sight when I was 15." She listens to the scratching of the pencil, acknowledging that the woman was writing down the information. "Then, can you explain to me about the violence your husband is inflicting or has inflicted upon you?" Again, the woman remains silent. Again, she draws the courage and strength to speak with her own voice. Again, she feels her heart being crushed with heaviness.

She admits that she lost her sight when she was 15 year old teenager. Her apartment complex caught fire and she was asleep until she hears the blaring emergency alarm. When she notices that the fire has blocked her exit down the stairs from the seventh floor, the circuit breaker nearby sparked rapidly and charred her eyes along with parts of her face - eyebrows, bridge of her nose, and eyelids. The only thing she could remember of the incident was a loud voice that calls to her: "Ojou-sama! Ojou-sama!" She continuously hears a male's voice call out to her. In the end, she finds herself in the hospital and is given instructions in physical therapy on how to deal with her new disability. At first, everything seems to be fine until she realizes that she lacks the normalcy she had with her daily life.

"At that time, Ikuto," She pauses at the name, attempting to hold back her tears. Unfortunately, she could not do the same for her voice. "My husband, he treats me like I had no disability. He gave me a reason to believe in a better future despite my blindness." Ikuto Muruka had a charming voice. His talents appeal to her because his voice makes her heart flutter. Like an angel, he gives her peace and happiness when she felt discouraged. When he asked her to marry him, she thought her entire world could possibly be perfect. Now, it shatters in her hands and the warm liquid she feels between her fingertips is her own blood and tears.

"Everything felt like a dream, and all I can feel now is cold reality. What went wrong?" Andromeda sobs in her hands, trying to hold herself together. From when they reached the altar and said their vows, she remembers clearly when they consummate their marriage. 'As long as you follow me, I'll take control': Harmless words soon turn cruel as gentle lovemaking becomes mindless pounding. Not even the birth of their firstborn changes his behavior; he was absent during the child labor, and the doctor holds her hand through the contractions, whispering encouragement. After what feels like hours of the interview, Andromeda finally leaves the office with little relief.

"Andromeda-chan!" A voice calls to her, panting when she hears his breath close to her ear. "Dou-kun." She whispers as she feels strong arms embracing her. "Is everything okay? Was it all okay?" He tightens his hold around her, feeling her arms wrap around his waist. "Is he," Her voice whispers lowly. "Will he come back?" Dou smiles and shakes his head. "With your testimony, I doubt that man would ever come back. The judge would surely sentence him to a lifetime confinement. I promise you that, Andromeda-chan." He pulls back from her slightly before leaning in to softly kiss her on the lips.

The worry she feels soon smothers away, melting other fears. She finally gives her testimony, and she is safe. In turn, she kisses her boyfriend and holds him close to her chest. Now, her daughter and herself can live away from the shadows. Unbeknownst to them in the far distance from the rooftops, a dark figure stares at the couple through the scope of his sniper rifle. He hears static from the radio linked to his headset. "Sergeant. Do you copy? Over." The message sounds softly in his ear as his eyes remain focused on his targets. "I copy. Over." His dark, low, and sultry voice echoes through the microphone piece.

"The defendant has given the court new evidence. It may be a favor for the witness with her testimony, but the verdict may be a lighter sentence. High command wants you to keep an eye on the witness until further notice. Over." The male remains quiet, adjusting the scope to see the detail of the scene. The male cups the female's asset, almost in an arousing manner. 'Tsk. This lewd asshole.' "Sergeant. Do you copy? Over." Sighing in annoyance, he clutches the walkie-talkie on his shoulder strap. "Copy. Ten-fore. Over and out." He disassembles his sniper rifle, setting it back into the suitcase before covering it with his civilian clothings. "What a drag. This babysitting gig." He slings the suitcase onto his shoulder and heads towards the stairs. 'Let's see how long you can live, Andromeda Tagemi.'


	2. Some Things Time Cannot Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three years passed since Andromeda makes her statement to send her ex-husband to prison. With the start of a new trimester, Kazuma and his team consisting of Chief Yamamoto Kiriwa, Mia, and Masahiro attempt to find the suppliers of a new ecstasy drug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated explicit for mild foreplay, adult content such as drug trafficking
> 
> Takehiko Kaizuma is an alias for Kazuma Kiriwa. With the Japanese honorifics usually involves people mentioning the individual by their last names, 'Kaizuma' sounds similar to 'Kazuma' for the sake of consistency. The name altercation will not start until the middle of the chapter. Apologies ahead of time.

Andromeda listens to multiple pencils scratch upon the papers, diligently marking words while the sunshine brightens the room. A small classroom of approximately 10 girls holds the examination of the day: English. Carefully reading her text in braille, Andromeda smiles at the philosophical book she recently purchased based on Nietzsche's ethics. When she hears the loud screeching of the chair moving across the marble floor, she listens to the soft footsteps of one of the school's prestigious students.

"Thank you, sensei." The girl whispers, turning her exam into the folder and leaving the classroom.

Andromeda only smiles and nods her head, listening again to the retreating footsteps. Once everything seems to have returned to its original silence, a loud voice booms through the hallway and gives everyone a jolt of shock.

"Kaizuma! Get back here!"

Loud footsteps hurriedly rush past their classroom, disappearing down the hallway. Andromeda sighs softly. 'Must be counselor Gonzai chasing that delinquent student again. When will he ever learn?'

"Kaizuma! You punk! Stop!" Gonzai shouts, chasing the young male across the field towards the gym.

Once he enters into the gym, the male realizes that all the exits have been blocked due to construction. 'Damn it. Not again.' He pants, placing his hands upon his hips. A sudden tug on his pants drags him through a door before hearing the lock click. Gonzai soon rushes through the double doors of the entrance, frantically searching. He opens the boys' locker room to see no one present.

"Where did that punk go!"

He blindly barges into the girls' locker room to see the girls' volleyball team changing for practice. Hysterically, everyone screams and causes the counselor to escape in embarrassment. Once it seems that the coast is clear, they calmed down for a bit before continuing their morning routine.

"Geez, Takehiko-kun. You should be more careful." The female sighs, looking over her shoulder to check if the counselor actually left.

She releases him from her hold, wrapping a towel around her body as Takehiko rubs his sore neck. "It's a good thing that we were here. Otherwise, you would have your ass busted."

Another girl giggles, putting on her volleyball jersey. He was not sure being friends with the volleyball girls was a good idea, but it does have its benefits.

"It's not my fault they always like to harrass me about being late to classes. The bus transportation was delayed." He sighs, feeling a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders comfortably.

He gazes at her from the corner of his eye, watching her closely as the others continue changing for practice.

"Regardless of that, there's this party next week. We're wondering if," She leans in close to whisper in his ear. Her hands slowly follows the curve of his body down to his waistline where she unbuttons his pants. "You'll be joining us this time, Takehiko-kun~." She reaches forward to cup his manhood and slowly strokes to the tip. Her fingertips dance along the fleshy tip of his length before trailing back down to the base. Her lips pout, holding him close.

"You never come."

Everyone nods, folding their hands as if begging him. Takehiko couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I'll think about it." He pulls her off of him, and quickly heads to the door while fixing his zipper. "Thanks for the save though!"

'High school girls are really thirsty these days.' Takehiko thinks to himself, heading to his classroom where he finds all the guys bursting in laughter as their teacher runs out with tears. 'Score ten for classroom terrorism.' He glances over to the posters of their teacher dressed in baby clothes. Surprisingly, he couldn't repress a smile as a few guys slung their arms on his shoulders.

"Takehiko! What took you so long?" One of the guys ask as they led him to his seat.

"Got to check out the volleyball girls. Making sure they're in shape." Takehiko grins mischeviously as the others howl.

"So? How are they?" Takehiko flashes an 'OK' with his thumb and index finger while adding a wink. Everyone bursts out into a howling fit of laughter. Teenage boys really have a one-tracked mind.

"Kaizuma!"

A booming voice shouts into the classroom from the broken door. The facilities of class F shows a drastic downgrade from class A. Takehiko groans in disappointment. He was certain that they would leave him alone if they couldn't catch him within half an hour. The coach grabs him by the ear, dragging him literally out into the hallway and towards the faculty room. An earful of scoldings are bound to be given today.

"Your behavior is unruly. Do you want to fail again! I expect you to be more diligent! Your grades are slacking, and where is your damn father!"

Takehiko rolls his eyes at the relentless words thrown at him. Despite the various strokes of saliva smacking against his cheek, the male endures the teacher's scolding until he was finally dismissed, much to the teachers' pleasures than his.

"Always getting into trouble again, Takehiko-kun?" A young girl scoffs, holding her textbooks in hand. A group of her friends finally caught up to her, giggling and whispering among themselves.

"I don't have time for your antics today, Rei-chan." Takehiko retorts, stuffing his hands into his pant pockets while keeping a disinterested expression.

He did not like this girl much; she is a girl of brains and stature. If people are to ask him, it is a recipe for trouble especially in a high school setting. After all, they tend to believe that they run the world in their own hands. Erie 'Rei' Fushijou, on the other hand, is different: she is the recipe for disaster.

"You're right. You have other things to do like," She taps her chin in thought before snapping her fingers. "Getting 199th place in the placement exams." She giggles with her friends.

The school has this system to grade students based on their performance on the class placement exams consisting of the core subjects. When a student earns a place higher than 100, then they are exempted from remedial classes. If not, they must retake the classes over the summer to earn enough credits for graduation. Takehiko's eye twitches at being reminded of the annoying tests. They fail to show the full concept of an individual's comprehension; they are only analyzing what the student learns inside and outside of classroom times. It is somewhat unfair, but that is what is expected of students: memorization and conformation to the ideas established by society and the government. Takehiko only finds it ridiculous. In response to her comment, he decides to close his eyes and walk away from the situation. Failing to do so will cause him to pop a vein somewhere on his forehead.

'This bit-' He opens his eyes to see a raven-haired woman in front of him. Her clothes are quite reserved - it covers her wrist, cleavage, and the knee. The dark glasses that she wears intend to hide the burn scars along her eyes. Her sudden appearance almost gave him a scare.

"Ah! Tagemi-sensei." Rei gasps, nodding her head low with her classmates.

Andromeda smiles softly to them and waves them off. "Have a good day, Rei-san. And the young man you were speaking with?" She directs her tone to Takehiko.

Slowly registering what was happening, he mutters under his breath. "Takehiko. Takehiko Kaizuma."

Andromeda nods her head to his name, and steps aside from him as she slowly makes her way to the faculty room. The loud clicking of her high heels echo along the walls, giving her a sense of direction. Takehiko blinks in amazement at her adeptness. He knew that they had a blind female teacher, but he didn't know that she acted naturally enough to have her disability hidden.

"Oye! You better not be thinking anything lewd about sensei, Takehiko-kun. We won't forgive you if you ever lay a finger on her!" Rei threatens, huffing as she marches down the opposite direction.

At her comment, Takehiko raises a brow. 'What the hell is she talking about?'

As noisy from outside the classroom as inside the faculty room, the peace of the whole school seems to be disturbed with the presence of this delinquent, Takehiko Kaizuma. Many of the teachers complain about his grades and behaviors while the students complain about his aggression and harassment especially the girls from class A-1; the other girls in class A-2 and A-3 seem to tolerate the boys' behavior. The school segregates the grades according to floors: seniors are on the first floor, juniors on second, and so forth. Then, there is the segregation of genders for focus especially for those diligent few. Class A consists of all-scholarly females with three divisions, Class B represent the male counterpart with three divisions. Class C includes the female athletes with six divisions while Class D is its male counterpart with fourteen divisions. Class E and F are the refinery students, or ones with much needed attention. The board prefers to call them 'special ed' students but everyone knows that it classifies the delinquents and rebels as a single unit. Sadly, teachers for these classes decline the position due to their classroom terrorism - pranks taken too far, indirect harassment with photoshopped pictures, and the occasional smoke grenades.

Specifically, Andromeda remembers Takehiko Kaizuma's file. The counselor, Gonzai, read her his profile at the beginning of school orientation two years ago. He failed middle school twice and dropped out for two years, which explains his age being 20. At first, she thought it is strange for someone his age to continue high school especially if he refuses to learn. According to Gonzai though, his family pays the school well enough that they cannot decline such an offer. 'Takehiko really is troublesome.'

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, Andromeda-sensei." Gonzai sighs, walking into the teacher's room with his shoulders slumped. "I don't quite have the energy I used to have when I was younger. If you could, please be that boy's counselor." He folds his hands together with his lips pouted.

A scoff from across the room catches Andromeda's attention. "If you think that a woman can make that boy listen, then you're wrong. Izumi-sensei gave it her best shot and she soon transferred to another school because she couldn't prove that he was harassing her. Andromeda-sensei, there's no need for you to rip your hairs out for him. Gonzai-sensei! Man up and take him by the horns!" Suki-sensei bends her biceps to express strength. Gonzai drops his head in defeat, pretending to weep crocodile tears.

"Please don't cry, Gonzai-sensei." Andromeda meekly smiles, raising her hands to calm the male. "I suppose I can be his counselor until you regain your spirit." Immediately, Gonzai clasps her hands and spouts words of gratitude. 'What, what did I sign up for?'

The end of the day finally arrives, relieving the teachers from their duties. Andromeda, though, decides to get a headstart on knowing more of this delinquent she is to counsel for the next year.

"Takehiko." Andromeda says, pondering on the name.

Takehiko, on the other hand, grimaces in annoyance. "Oye, sensei. You've already said my name five times now. Don't tell me that you have Alzheimer's too."

Acting as if she is ignoring him, she continues saying his name in a chant. "'Take' means 'bamboo' or 'military'. 'Hiko' is 'boy' or 'prince'. So, 'Takehiko' should mean 'bamboo boy'." Takehiko's eye twitches at her sudden realization of name significance.

"I would've preferred 'military boy', or 'military prince'. That sounds much better."

Andromeda nods her head, yet shakes her finger in disagreement. "A military prince that attacks the people whom he swears to protect under oath is no prince. Takehiko-kun. You're childish."

The male raises his brow in surprise. "What?"

"You heard me. Your attitude is childish." Andromeda repeats herself in a soft, calm voice.

At her words, Takehiko scoffs and feels flabbergasted. This woman actually called him childish. Quietly, he grits his teeth.

"You are a grown man, Takehiko-kun. Isn't it time for you to grow up?" Takehiko rolls his eyes, leaning forward to Andromeda.

"What about you? How old are you?"

"Confidential." Andromeda immediately replies without hesitation.

Before she knows it, Takehiko starts chuckling softly to himself. The sound of the chair creaking underneath his weight tells her that he is currently enjoying himself. 'Should I put my foot down?' Andromeda furrows her brow, and takes a sharp intake of air.

"Hey, sensei." She hears a soft creaking of the chair before feeling a hot breath close to her face. "If I grow up, will you go out with me?"

He strikes a nerve inside of Andromeda as she stomps her heel onto his foot. Takehiko yelps in surprise and pain, falling back into his seat with a shocked expression.

"What was that for!" He says through gritted teeth. Takehiko hisses to repress the stinging pain in his foot. Her heels aren't the usual material that they are made of; they are actually made of mahogany wood.

Andromeda sighs, finding his approach even more childish than his attitude. "Kaizuma-kun, it would be appreciated that you know the boundaries between teacher and student. Tomorrow, I want you here at seven o'clock sharp. Understand?"

Takehiko grumbles darkly, glaring at her. He puffs and knocks a few pens off of her desk before leaving the faculty room. Everyone releases their breaths while some clap for Andromeda's bravery. Andromeda, too, releases her breath. She dodged a bullet there.

Takehiko stomps out of the school entrance, walking past the entrance and turning the corner. When he sees no one familiar in sight, he straightens up his posture and cracks his sore neck a few times. Releasing a tired sigh, he hustles over to the white van about a few meters from the school grounds and enters into it. The coast has been clear for the past few hours, so they stationed their van closeby for any suspicious activities.

"Nice work, Kazuma." The male comments, checking his monitors for the last time before shutting them down. "Another day of the life of the delinquent, Takehiko Kaizuma." He spins his chair to see Takehiko/Kazuma unbuttoning his shirt. He tugs the microphone from its hidden pouch and the receiver before handing it to the technician.

"Did you copy on that party, Masahiro-kun?"

"Yeah. Maybe, we'd be able to see who's been supplying the drugs to these high school students. These 'parties' are probably where they hang together. Once we grab a dealer, we'll end most of the trafficking in Tokyo."

Kazuma scoffs, nodding his head in disagreement. "Even if we nab a dealer, it would only end one line. They can always replace the dealers. We need to nab those suppliers, the big fish. One line is better than none though." He stuffs his uniform into his backpack, changing into a white tank and loose jogging pants.

"Shall we report back to headquarters?" Masahiro asks as he heads towards the driver seat.

"Yeah, and make it quick." He pulls a cap over his face, staying low in the back as Masahiro quickly drives towards police headquarters.

The afternoon signifies heavy traffic on the highway that quickly takes them to their destination. Kazuma drinks his water quietly before asking for the status update.

"No one has found any direct leads. The dealers they found downtown are refusing to give up their suppliers. Said something about it being taboo with no guarantees for safety. One of the dealers happen to be found dead in his apartment." Kazuma listens intently to the reports. If he relates them to the current events in the high school setting, then it would make sense why teenagers are targeted; they are vulnerable to these new temptations especially if it is physical and sexual. "There has been an increase in incidences with teenage drug addictions. According to the latest statistics, there are two addictions that appear to come hand-in-hand.

Kazuma furrows his brow in frustration; he has a feeling that he wasn't going to like this. "Drugs and sex." The male rolls his eyes knowingly. "You probably figured that out firsthand."

"Is there a cause other than the usual culprits: pornography, history of physical abuse, domestic violence, and peer pressure?" Masahiro widens his eyes to Takehiko's question.

"I thought you knew the answer. It's personal desire. People actually want to do it." Kazuma scoffs at the answer.

"You can't always blame hormones."

He looks over at the driver and sees the vial in a ziploc bag dangling in front of him. He takes it and inspects the cover with a raised brow.

"Ecstasy tablets? These are low-grade." Kazuma comments, soon hearing Masahiro's argument.

"They look low-grade, but they are potent. Powerful enough to subdue a grown man." Masahiro glances at Takehiko. "Imagine what it could do for a woman."

Curious, Kazuma checks the vial again. They look like ordinary, white tablets. Easily mistaken for sleeping pills or painkillers, they can be misused for other purposes.

"These are being distributed?" Masahiro nods to his question.

"Surprisingly, by a packet of one tablet."

The news truly surprises him. "Only one tablet. Why so little?"

Masahiro shrugs, taking the bag back from him. "Maybe because it's regulated."

Kazuma shakes his head in disbelief. "Pharmaceuticals are regulated. Over-the-counter medicine is regulated. This is street goods."

They soon enter into a garage, feeling the ground descend to the underground parking lot. After all, they are undercover officers of the First Division. Their primary concern focuses on the immediate response to emergencies while their side operations consist of espionage and investigation.

Kazuma, an ex-elite military soldier turned civil police, decides to take the side operations for the time being due to the increasing reports of drug trafficking in Japan. Under the alias of Takehiko Kaizuma, he infiltrates a school as a student to evaluate the distribution of ecstasy pills and drugs in the high school system.

Along with Masahiro, they take the elevator to the laboratory level in order to evaluate the validity of their findings. The cameras and recordings are sent for analysis by the computer technicians and analysts. Once they pass the security guards, they are greeted by a female personnel.

"Late as always." The woman jabs at the younger male, following him down the hall. "I was certain that class was dismissed at 3:30. Unfortunately, my cover always postpones my departure until 4:45. So, do the math, Mia-chan."

"If I could do the math, surely I would be answering the question for you." Mia retorts proudly, causing Masahiro to chuckle at their bickering.

"Act's over." A stern, uniformed male stands at his doorway with his hands behind his back. "I need you to focus on your next objective." He walks into the meeting room with folders neatly placed in specific seats. Each of them take their places along with other invited officers, awaiting for their superintendent, Officer Yamamoto Kiriwa. The light dim for the projector to display the outline of the meeting.

"As of today, there has been no progress to end this drug trafficking. We're always left to jump into different rabbit holes. I need a definite lead." Yamamoto sternly exclaims, staring at each of the officers. "So far, our analysts bring us back to a blast from the past." He displays a picture of a woman. "Andromeda Tagemi." Her name rings a bell in Kazuma's mind; he was certain he heard it somewhere. "She was a witness against Ikuto Wakahami. Due to evidence that she was cheating on Wakahami-san and led to their sudden fight, he has been sentenced for 10 years."

'Oh, she's that witness from three years ago.' Due to his anonymous shadowing, he cannot give his testimony that she actually cheated on her ex-husband in any manner. In all actuality, they divorced without any paper statement and she involuntarily went out with Dou Ako. 'That guy was also a pervert.' He represses his gag reflex from remembering all of those awkward public display of 'affections'.

Mia raises her hand to ask her question. "Why is she important to this operation? I thought her situation has already been completed, case closed." Yamamoto nods his head in understanding. "It is not her involvement alone, but what she can remember of her ex-husband."

"I don't quite understand." There was a long pause of silence as the superintendent breathes out a long sigh. "We believe that the Wakahami serving prison time is not Wakahami." Everyone gasps, jaws slacked at what the superintendent had just said. Kazuma, on the other hand, takes this news in a completely different reaction: outrage. He chased Wakahami for the past five years, hunting the supplier for 'the man in charge' but the man has a tight lip.

"You can't be saying there was a prisoner swap!" Masahiro frantically states. "This is the first time something like this has happened that someone else serves time for another person." Yamamoto raises his hand to stop the constant whispering of the officers present.

"It has not yet been confirmed, but an insider believes that the man in prison now is not Ikuto Wakahami. That is why I need all officers stationed in these appropriate areas. This operation starts tonight, understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

The briefing is to the point, but it leaves Kazuma confused about his assignment. His folder has a blank sheet for his assignment. Yamamoto signals for Kazuma to follow, leading him to a corner of the room while everyone takes their leave. "I want you to take your usual post at night. During the day, I want you back at that school." Kazuma stares at the superintendent. "Sir, if this operation holds greater importance than that operation, then why must I still attend school?"

Yamamoto leans in forward to the young male. "Because the witness is a teacher at that school. You still don't recognize her? Three years have done your memory in, Sergeant."

\---

Andromeda bows her head, saying her farewells to her coworkers before leaving through the school entrance. The wind blows through her hair, causing her body to ease to the coolness of the evening weather. She takes in a deep breath with ears listening intently to the peaceful music of the trees. During class, there is no opportunity for her to listen to this beautiful music; it is a rare occasion for her to leave this early from work. Once everything calms down for her to continue her walk home, she loudly clinks her heels against the concrete sidewalk. She uses the echoes of the heel clicks to determine her whereabouts as well as cracks and objects.

"Andromeda!" She hears an elderly cry nearby her with the roaring sound of an engine. "Dear." Another elderly voice calls to her, taking her hand gently. She smiles at his approach, holding tight onto the wrinkly hand of the male.

"Thank you, father." She exclaims, following his lead to the car.

"You got out early today, dear. Did something happened today?" She hears her mother ask from the passenger side.

"Oh, watch your step." Her father warns, helping her into the vehicle before grabbing the end of the seat belt for her.

"Thanks." She smiles warmly at her father before fitting the seat belt into its counterpart with some difficulty.

Her father enters into the driver's side, and shifts the gear to drive.

"So, did anything interesting happen today?" Another soft voice besides her ask with innocence, leaning in with excitement. Andromeda merely smiles as she kisses the child in the car seat besides her. "Not as interesting as your day." She eskimo kisses the babe, who giggles back. "I did, momma!" She claps happily before taking her mother's hand in hers. "We learned the alphabet, and Satomi-sensei read us a book." Andromeda giggles happily at her daughter's joy. "What book did Satomi-sensei read, Athena?"

"The Very Hungry Caterpillar!" Athena shouts happily, resulting in everyone's own laughter mixing with hers.

A picture of a happy family can be painted of the Tagemi family with the exception of Andromeda's own misfortunes. Andromeda feels the car stop in place, bewildering her of their destination. The travel time is shorter than it usually was if they were returning to their residence. "We have to stop by the hospital today." She hears her father explain, finally feeling the car pull to a full stop for parking. "Is it my appointment with Dr. Tatski?" Andromeda slightly frowns, remembering the last time she visited the physician. She is responsible for examining Andromeda's psyche especially after the incident about three years ago. Painful questions bring back painful memories. Nonetheless, there is nothing she could do about it. They did set up her appointment to be once every two weeks.

"Momma, are you okay?" Athena asks her mother, holding her hand tightly.

Andromeda turns her head to face her daughter, planting a kiss upon her forehead. "I'm okay." She smiles to reassure her child. Taking her child into her own arms, she carries her out of the car and onto the asphalt pavement of the parking lot. She feels her mother hook her arm around hers to assist her towards the entrance easier.

"You'll be fine, dear. It's just your usual checkup." Her father whispers in her ear, hoping that his words would ease her nervousness. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Andromeda still feels the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, making her feel nauseous. The long walk down the smooth hallway gives her a sudden burst of nostalgia.

The first time she arrives to this hospital takes a lot of energy out of her. The fear, the anxiety, and the loss: all of these emotions haunt her with each step she took into that small office. 'Ms. Tagemi. Please tell us.' She remembers those repetitive words. As much as she wishes to confess it all, the burden of the past allows misery to resurface. Depression strikes her to the core, and she recalls the constant desire to commit suicide. Three years passed by slowly yet her mood brightens gradually. It took a while, but the familial support and her daughter's presence give her the motivation she needs in daily life.

"Momma," She hears Athena call her. "Will you be okay?" They all enter into the waiting room of the therapist's office, finally hearing Andromeda's name called by the nurse.

"Yes," She leans her head against her daughter's forehead. "Momma will be just fine." Giving Athena over to her mother, she walks with her father to the leading hand of the nurse. Once she hears the click of the closed door, she soon hears the rapid beating of her heart.

Athena looks down at her sketchpad with forlorn eyes. She knew her mother does not like visiting the hospital especially with this doctor that she always meets. Her nimble hands open the front cover to see the first drawing she made of her mother, herself, and her father. She pulls out a brown colored pencil, and colors in a patch of hair on the man's head.

"Who is that, Athena?" Her grandfather asks her, watching her draw her pictures.

"Papa!" She smiles, holding the picture up for her grandparents to see. "Papa's here with me and Momma!" Athena proudly states with her finger pointed to the man. Her grandparents both look at each other with worrisome expressions.

"Sweet Athena, your father," Her grandfather starts, yet could not find the words he needs to tell this precious child of the terrible truth. "Your father," Athena hears him start again, but he pauses when he sees the girl's sweet smile.

"Momma says that Papa is far, far away because he is called to protect all of the baby animals in Africa." Her response surprises her grandparents. "Papa has to hide now because bad men want him to tell them where all the babies are. Papa's a hero!"

Both the grandfather and grandmother sigh in submission. There is no way that they can break the innocence of this child. As she was growing up, the absence of her father makes her believe that he has forsaken her. In turn, Andromeda tries to reassure Athena that her father still loves her. Yet in truth, Athena knows that her mother constantly cries herself to sleep because the scary shadowman will soon come back and hurt her. That shadowman almost came for her if her mother's voice has not begged him to leave her be. The fear makes Athena pray for her father's return. One day, she hopes he will come back and beat up the shadowman.

"Grandpa." Athena looks up to her grandfather after a few minutes of silence. "Did they ever find out where Papa is?"

"No, sweetheart. Your father is a great hider. It'll take a person of pure heart to find him." Her grandfather smiles, creasing his brow. "Maybe, you are the perfect seeker to find him." Athena's face brightens as her mouth gaps into a wide smile.

"Can I really find him?"

"Maybe." Her grandmother chimes in. "You still have a pure heart. Better than any young girl that I have ever met." Her shaky hand strokes the fair head of the young girl filled with hope and dreams. Again, they fall into silence with a hopeful Athena drawing another portrait.

"Andromeda-san, how have you been?" Andromeda hears Dr. Tatski ask from behind her desk. She takes her usual seat on the lounge chair, knowing that this conversation may last for some time.

"I have been well." She answers in a monotone voice until she has been asked to elaborate her statement. "School has been as normal as it can be. The students are kind while some are respectful. The tasks are now routine, but still has its difficulties." The pencil scratches on the paper in which the doctor scribes her words for future references.

"Family?"

"They are still supportive of me. My daughter finally enters into kindergarten, and still being the light of my day." Andromeda's mood brightens when she talks about her daughter.

"That's good. Friends?"

Again, Andromeda nods her head and gives her account. "I do have some spare time to spend with them. They are still persistent about me dating especially older ones." She pauses for a bit, remembering their comments about hookups and potential companions. Honestly, she still fears the unknown in that field. After what happened with Ikuto, she could not trust another as blindly as she did.

"Why older ones? I mean, is there a specific reason?"

"They're supposed to be mature and dependable, or so they say." Andromeda tightens her lips in thought. She still has not seen such characteristics in other, older men.

"What about Dou-san?" The mention of her boyfriend brings up a previous conversation they had a week ago. "Are you two active?"

Their discussion has been about taking their relationship to the next level, but Andromeda still feels uneasy about taking the next step. Slowly, she shakes her head in denial. "I don't think I'm ready to open myself up like that again." She whispers to Dr. Tatski. "We're waiting. He says that he can still wait."

Dr. Tatski stops her writing by setting her pencil down onto her folder. "Andromeda-san, you have grown wiser from your past experience. Don't you think three years should be enough for you to finally move on? Don't you think it's time to let it all go and take this chance?" Andromeda lifts her head to look in the general direction of the therapist's voice. 'Move on? Do I have the strength to even do that?'

"Unless there's still something holding you back." Dr. Tatski concludes from Andromeda's furrowed brows.

Andromeda feels conflicted because the fact that confuses her is the idea of intimacy. Why do couples find it necessary for this physical intimacy? Is there something special to it other than spreading one's legs to complete submission? The memory of their marriage consummation causes tears to brim over the edge of her lids and to spill down upon her cheeks. She covers her face in shame with her shoulders hunched in despair. What happened back then when everything felt like a Wonderland? Did she do something wrong that triggered his dark nature?

"Andromeda-san, here." Dr. Tatski hands her a tissue paper for her to calm her crying.

This behavior is what she has been accustomed to; those emotionally damaged like Andromeda tend to enter into an emotional shock when certain trigger words are used. Andromeda dabs the tissue gently at her flowing tears, stifling the need to voice her cries. This session continues to drain her energy, causing her to emotionally collapse. She did not want to prolong this any longer. She wants her daughter. She wants her peace.

When the session finally ends after another half hour, Andromeda steadily walks out of the office and into the waiting room where she was immediately greeted by her parents. She feels their strong embraces around her while her daughter calls her from afar.

"Momma!" She rushes to Andromeda's side before being picked up by trembling hands. Athena holds her mother close, calming her anxiety and fears. "Momma, Athena's here. I'll fight away your scary monsters." She triumphantly says with her fingers running through her mother's hair. Andromeda only nods in agreement. Her daughter is her warrior.

"Andromeda-chan." A familiar voice calls her with his heavy footsteps making their way towards her. In turn, she faces his direction.

"Dou-kun." She replies before being greeted with a kiss upon her lips.

"How'd everything go?" He asks, looking at her parents and Athena. Andromeda only nods her head, trying to express normalcy. The session finally ended, so relief washes her with its cleansing waters. "Then, shall we head home?" He suggests, leading Andromeda by the arm followed by her parents. The trip from the hospital to the estate takes approximately 15 minutes, which gives her some time to reflect on the therapist's words.

She hears the side door open and a hand helps her out of the vehicle.

"Athena, where are you going?" She hears her mother ask to which Athena replies: "I'm going to see Kiko-chan." Kiko-san serves as a home nurse for the family, and a confiding friend for young Athena. It saddens Andromeda that Athena would leave her side so quickly, but young children cannot be chained down forever. Dou hooks her hand onto his arm as he leads her to the estate.

"Dou-kun," She whispers to him, hoping that he would avert his full attention to her. "I want to give it a try."

"Give what a try?" Dou asks, awaiting her response. "This relationship. Taking it to the next level? I want to give it a try."

She feels her lips being smothered by those of Dou's. Falling into the kiss, she follows until she feels herself floating into his arms. Dou carries her up to the guest room on the main floor, locking it for privacy before laying her upon the soft bed. With a slow pace of a turtle, he removes each article of their clothing without skipping the pace of their kisses. Dou places his hand upon the groove of her bottom, squeezing the softness of those lower mounds before stroking her inner legs. With every teasing stroke, her legs slowly start to spread open for his other hand to cup her treasured womanhood. His finger runs along the damp slit of her entrance, feeling her arousal before leading them to hook around his waist.

"Tell me when you're ready." He whispers against her lips. Andromeda lies underneath them with soft pants escaping her lips. This burning sensation throughout her body felt familiar yet the cause is a different man. Her heart bursts against her chest; she can feel her anxiety reach its point of attack. Frighten by this sudden progression, her body desperately tries to escape from this moment despite what her hormones are responding to. Suddenly, she feels a thickness running along her entrance that causes her body to stiffen. The memories flood through her mind of the physical strikes, the pain, the roughness, and the constant hammering. 'No, I. I.' She did not want this, but her mind goes blank when she feels the same thickness intrude past the forgotten entrance. 'No, no!' She shouts in her mind, wanting to voice it but she has lost her voice. Soon, she feels it slowly deepening and intruding. No matter how much she wants it to stop, she couldn't because those paralyzing fears have strangled her screams.

"Andromeda-chan." She hears Dou in the distance. "You're crying. What's wrong?" She feels the thickness disappear as arms pull her up into a cradle. "We can stop. Is that it? We can stop. We can wait." She hears him say, but she cannot reply. She was too lost to the menacing laughter in her mind, the laugh of that cruel man.


	3. Clash of Classes I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After attempting an intimate moment with Dou, Andromeda falls into the darkness of her mind for refuge. At their apartment complex, Kazuma and Masahiro keep watch over the apartment that results in Kazuma pulling an all-nighter. In the next morning, the guys of class F plan their attack against the guys of class B when they discover the destruction of their classroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rated explicit for masturbation, crude language, and crude violence
> 
> For the sake of maintaining the amounts of characters in this story as well as the unique individualism of each, the boys of class F are represented by colors that match their personality. Besides, who does not enjoy dying their hair from time to time?

The usual post: a building overlooks the apartment complex in which the target of interest lives, an approximation of 300 meters. This distance gives them the shadows to hide from prying eyes while providing them an opportunity to infiltrate the other building if an emergency calls for such approach. Fortunately, there has not been a time for them to take those drastic measures. 

Kazuma checks through his scope, aligning the crosshairs and focusing the center mark on the dimly-lit window of a plain bedroom. He furrows his brows in confusion at what he was witnessing: the still posture of the petite woman curled up on the front of her bed. 'What is she doing? She's just sitting there.' He turns the central dial of his scope a few times to the right to refocus the image. 

"Hey, Kazuma. What's the status?" Masahiro shouts from the kitchen, tossing a few eggs into his ramen meal. Happily, he hums to a off-tune melody. 

Kazuma rolls his eyes while his head slams face first onto the pillow he had underneath him for comfort. 'Masahiro, I would kill you but you're the only damn one who is willing enough to do my damn homework on this all-nighter stakeout.' After a few minutes of the breathing exercise, he lifts his head up to scan through the scope again. 

"She's spacing out. I don't know why. She was fine earlier today." 

Kazuma reaches over to his cellphone, and moves through the mobile applications to the 'Calendar' app. For the day's schedule, he compares his agenda to that of Andromeda's when they had hacked into her online agenda book. He would have been more grateful if the division technicians would have hacked the other teacher's personal databases so that he could have gotten his hands on the answer key to all his exams. They, though, decide to grind more salt on his wound when they declined his proposition; they not only want him not to pass but they want him to act as if he was a complete moron. 

'A moron with an AK-47 up their asses.' Kazuma internally scoffs upon remembering the council's jeering remarks on his role in the school. They would find any reason for him to be the laughing stock of the First Division despite the number of campaigns he has completed for the military police. If they had the ounce of respect in them to appreciate the works of a child soldier, then there would not have been a need to create a program of horrendous mistreatment for male orphans. Sadly, the world is not ideal. 

"Spacing out?" Masahiro repeats his observation before glancing through various data pop-ups on his laptop. "I do have a report of her psyche from a therapist visit today." A few clicks of the mouse give him access to the medical assessment and file, outlining the patient's train of thought. "Hm, social life is normal. Family life? Normal. Occupation life? Adequate. Oh, relationship." Masahiro takes some time to evaluate the doctor's statements along with that of the female's. "The kind doctor says that she has difficulty advancing in her relationship with her boyfriend, and suggests that she should attempt it. In her words, she wants her to: 'Reach out of her comfort zone and tell her significant other to allow her to open herself up again'." 

Kazuma whistles at the statement, glancing over to look at Masahiro. "Isn't that a huge step though? I mean, that guy has a big shoe to fill in." 

Ikuto Wakahami, or Ikuto Muruka whom he introduced himself to Andromeda, was a drug lord in various countries. Almost untouchable by the government, the man runs the underground world under his iron thumb. He only escapes to Japan in order to rescue his new investments: humanoid super weapons known as TITANS. Every analysts believe that Ikuto created and invested in these super weapons with the hopes of controlling the other drug lords, monopolizing his power yet the magnitude of these TITANS could possibly subdue entire nations under his jurisdiction. 

Basically, he could own the chessboard with a single move, checkmate to freedom, independence, and honor. When they thought they had all the evidence needed to imprison him, the truth reveals that there actually has been a prisoner swap when they transported Ikuto from the county prison to the national one. As much as Kazuma hates losing to the criminal mastermind, he despises the fact that there has not been an effort to finding the whereabouts of this drug lord. 

"If you're wondering whether or not he has the package, I'm pretty sure that the guy is packing." Masahiro loudly slurps on his noodles. "He has no dignity to keep his pants on." 

Kazuma raises his brow with interest at Masahiro's information. Though Kazuma watches the school from the inside with both keen eyes and ears, Masahiro seems to catch more secrets from the outside. The younger male watches his companion cool his steamy meal before taking a large bite. 

"You know the school secretary?" 

Kazuma tries to recollect the face of the female. If he was not mistaken, the woman was a little older than Andromeda yet darker. She is a petite, blonde woman with a high maintenance attitude and a heavy interest in ganguro, which is a fashion trend that can be stated simply as 'tanned Barbie girl'. Kazuma rarely remembers crossing paths with the woman on school grounds, but he usually avoids the administration building for various reasons such as the inquisitive principal and spiteful vice principal. 

"What about her?" Kazuma remarks, returning back to his work by eyeing Andromeda through his sniping scope. 

"The man's practically cheating on Andromeda with her." 

"Wait, what?" Kazuma's head whips back from the scope to stare at Masahiro. "You're kidding me, right?" 

"I wish, but that's what I saw based on the surveillance tapes that I have been monitoring for the ten hours that you are in classes and club activities." He continues eating his meal before snorting a chuckle. "It's actually quite a view to watch. They literally are like animals in the safari. You know, that channel that you watch on television? The animal discovery channel or something." 

"I get it, I get it." Kazuma shakes his head. He didn't want Masahiro spilling the beans on the whole scandal, yet he shouldn't be truly stricken by surprise with this news. 

Despite how kindly he treats Andromeda, Dou Ako is a man, perverted and sexually active. Most gentlemen would oblige and stick to their guns with chastity and patience but Dou is not a true gentleman; he's a thirsty wolf under sheep's skin. Add a blind woman in the equation, Dou practically has all the pleasures of the world pouring down on him from the Heavens. 

'She really is pitiful.' The woman endures more problems as the years accumulate under her belt. There has not yet been a time that he has noticed her truly shedding a pure smile with a partner, but only that little girl whom she loves: her daughter. 

"How long has that been going on?" 

Masahiro lowers his bowl down after gulping the broth for the past minute. He wipes his wet mouth with the back of his hand before belching. 

"I think it's been going on for almost a year. He's gotten impatient or something because I locked onto their affair in the vice principal's office." 

"That's disgusting." Kazuma tries to swallow down his need to vomit at the thought of them being lewd in the vice principal's office. The man's office literally smells of aftershave cream and mothballs, which was another reason why he hates the administration building. 

"I know, right? Now," Masahiro rumages through the stacks of notebook paper on the table. "What homework is due tomorrow?" 

For the next five hours, Kazuma continues to quietly watch Andromeda and her household while Masahiro loudly converses with him on mundane topics such as the top billboard charts. Honestly, he would prefer Beyoncé's album over the new techno music that have been recently developed. Nothing can beat the classics, but Masahiro may have different opinions especially when it comes to Ludacris and T-Pain. On the other end, Andromeda continues to linger motionlessly in her place on the bed, which starts to concern Kazuma. 

'Come on, move. Do something.' 

His thoughts beckons her to come back to life, to be animated as if she did have a reason to continue living. Miraculously, she did move from her place with a liquid movement to stand upright. Though she may be in motion, she did not touch the food that was brought in a while back. She, though, starts to undress herself by slowly unbuttoning her blouse. Her hands move slowly while her eyes stare straight ahead, mystified and calm. 

"Hey, what's happening over there?" Kazuma hears Masahiro. "Oh!" He yelps, witnessing a strip show through his binoculars. "Man! If you are seeing her strip, at least be courteous enough to invite me!" 

Rolling his eyes, Kazuma feels enticed by the way this timid woman moved. Simple and elegant, her slow undressing turns him on in more ways than one. The fluidity, the underlying timidness, and the purity: Andromeda would be the perfect model of a woman capable of seduction. 

"Oh yeah, baby. Keep those hands moving." Masahiro pants in a soft whisper, attentive to every detail of the female's body. 

The delicate smoothness of her ivory skin shimmers in the moonlight as her fingers trail the curves of her body. She lies herself down on the edge of the bed, the side that faces the window. Her fingertips dance along the edges where her stretch marks can be visible especially the lower regions of her hips and thighs from her pregnancy. Both of the men watch attentively to the way her palm presses on her flat stomach before lifting her feet up onto the bed, spreading her legs. Unknowingly, she flashes her sex to the men spectating her from their binoculars. Masahiro groans at the sight while making comments about how tempting she was. Kazuma, though, pays closer attention to the rising and falling of her chest. The lucid rhythm of her breathing suggests two interpretations: anxiety or pleasure. At this point, Kazuma could only assume the former reason as Andromeda slowly lets her fingertips along on the sides of her inner thigh. 

"Come on," Masahiro pants, leaning forward from his sitting position. "Come on, baby!." His voice strains as if he plans to beg for his mistress to toss him a bone. "Oh baby, yes. Just like that. Touch yourself." He licks his dry lips, panting a bit louder. 

An adventurous hand finally takes the initiative to run its fingers along the inner lips, parting them enough for her middle finger to stroke the entrance to her heated core. Kazuma listens to her soft pants from the microphone they planted underneath one of the boards of the mattress frame. Intently, he distinguishes the hesitated breathing from the panting moans. Her current actions stir curiosity, making Kazuma wonder the motive for her sudden need to masturbate. As much as he ponders the thought, he couldn't focus well with Masahiro's perverted comments. 

"Stick it in that wet pussy. Damn, baby's so wet." Masahiro giggles childishly, now using one hand to massage the straining tent in his pants. "Wait, no. No, no! Oh, come on!" Masahiro tosses his binoculars angrily. 

During Masahiro's heated commentary, Andromeda shows a change of heart as she turns over onto her side to curl into a fetal position. Kazuma notices the change of her moans to soft sobbing as he watches her shrivel back to her defensive mindset. A soft sigh releases from Kazuma's lips as he lets his head fall back onto the pillow. The way this woman makes him feel physically hurts him in more ways than one especially in his groins. He cannot deny that he's sexually attracted to her, but her timid personality gives him second guesses on whether or not he should be a gentleman or a prick. 

"Damn it! Really!" Masahiro howls in rage, slamming his dishes into the sink. "I'm taking a shower! She got me hard for nothing!" 

Though he couldn't blame Masahiro for the disappointment, he also couldn't blame Andromeda for stopping halfway. As traumatic as her love life may have been, some scars just cannot simply heal, not even with time. 'She really is a pitiful person.' He eyes her through the scope again as he watches her curl her knees tighter against her chest in her fetal position. She keeps her face covered with her cradling arms. The sudden contractions of her chest give him the assumption that the dear woman was sobbing heavily. His eyelids lower and his eyes soften to her anguish. He sympathizes with her state of self-destruction, the same internal catastrophe he felt on the battlefield with many of his subordinates floundering on the ground in their own distress and blood. The little he could do for them as they die in his arms produces his sense of helplessness, a fear that enraptures the body useless and the mind mortified. 

After an hour, her sobbing ends and she lies there in complete stillness. Kazuma deduces that she has fallen into a mindless slumber, much of a comfort to her. He hears the entrance door open as a pair of boots trample across the cluttered floor. 

"Would it kill you guys to clear a path?" An annoyed voice snaps as a metallic case was kicked to the side. 

Kazuma slides off the ear pads of his headphones, allowing the headband to settle on the back of his neck. "I would be happy enough to, Mia, but I'm kind of busy with something at the moment." 

"Yes, because looking at a woman's naked body really keeps you busy." 

Kazuma flinches to a rough smack to the back of his head. He stuffs his face into the cushion because whatever she decides to hit him with was something she have had to pick up from their equipment cases. 

"Busy, my ass." Mia drops the wooden ruler that she had found on top of a few worksheets. "Did you eat yet?" She adds, entering into the small kitchen of their apartment complex. 

"I didn't get time." Kazuma replies after rubbing the bruised spot for a few more minutes. The pain lingers with its throbbing pulse. He feels fortunate that she only picked the ruler. 

"You should eat before you do your homework." 

"It's okay. Masahiro's going to finish it for me." 

Silence befalls upon them. A tension rises as the back of his hair stands up in alert. Slowly, he turns back to see the scorn of a woman. 

"Kazuma." Kazuma gulps back his fright. "You're not going to let Masahiro do 'your' homework." 

"But.." 

"Kazuma!" Mia thunders, stomping over to his post and grabbing him by the ear away from his sniper rifle. "I don't care if you're the sergeant. You are not going to deprive yourself of an education!" 

"Wait, Mia!" Kazuma grunts, trying to hurry along with her movements so that he could keep his ear intact. 

"Masahiro, you asshole! Where are you? Don't you spoil Kazuma!" She drags Kazuma along into the bathroom to which Masahiro screams in surprise. 

"Mia! I'm showering!" 

"Tell that to your jacking hand, you buffoon! You and Kazuma are too 'busy' to run a few errands to the grocery store! Oh, really!" 

"Mia, put that toothbrush down. Put that down." Masahiro backs up against the shower wall as Kazuma whines at how she was tugging his ear ferociously. "Mia! No! Mercy!!" 

\---

Deprived of sleep and energy, Kazuma drags his feet with a sudden desire to punch any chipper ball of joy that crosses his path. His eyes have dark semicircles underneath them with a lightly visible tint to his blood vessels. Kazuma massages his aching neck, hoping to alleviate the stiffness when he oversaw the perimeters of the Tagemi household. When a sniper has to endure long days in that particular position while focusing all their concentration on their target, a stiff neck and an irritable personality develops to punish the fortunate souls who weren't given such a mundane task like a stakeout. Not only that, Mia didn't make his life any easier when she vigorously demanded him to complete his own assignments. Obviously, she didn't know how long it would take an average individual to complete Suki-sensei's calculus exercises without a calculator. Deep down, he wishes that class F's students would've been smarter to terrorize her instead of gawking at her voluptuous figure. 

'Don't they realize that they could've been free of graphing derivatives and trigonometric functions if they had just frightened her off with a few explosive chalk erasers?' Realistically, he knew better than to stoop to the level of horny teenagers to disrespect authoritarians. They are simply doing their job in educating the youth as he, an officer of the law, is simply doing his job in protecting the innocence from those who wish to obtain their self-interests through nefarious means. It would be ironic of him to criticize them. 

"You're early for once." Kazuma slowly tilts his head over to the side to see the dragon lady. 

"Oh, Suki-sensei, it's you." He acknowledges drowsily. "What do you have for me now? A morning derivative question on a polynomial function? Or would you prefer that I do an antiderivative because you definitely forgot to teach us that." 

"I really don't have time for your sarcasm, Kaizuma-kun." Suki-sensei turns on her heel before opening the faculty door to usher him inside. "You have a meeting with your guidance counselor at 7, don't you? Unless your brain suddenly shrunk overnight, then it's a good thing that I caught you. Your rowdiness caused Gonzai-sensei to resign temporarily, so Andromeda-sensei is now your guidance counselor, I'm not going to let a blind woman chase you all over campus. If you even have an ounce of gentlemanliness, you'd be courteous enough to not make a run for it." 

"Actually," Kazuma responds with indifference to her drabbling dissertation. "The only reason why I ever ran in the first place is because a giant gorilla happened to be stampeding towards me. It's absolutely life-threatening. You should try it. It really tones the calves." 

"Quit wasting time." Suki-sensei reaches her hand over to him, hooking him by his ear before towing him to a seat in front of Andromeda who busily reads through her braille textbook. 

With the small time he was given when Suki-sensei plops him onto the chair, he rubs his earlobe from the yanking it was given unnecessarily. Andromeda smiles faintly with her indirect thanks to Suki-sensei, who continues to graciously help her in every little way. When she finally reaches a stopping point in her reading of Plato's Symposium, she leaves her bookmark in place before closing the book. 

"You are here earlier than usual. Did you sleep well?" 

"No, Andromeda-sensei. As you obviously can see, I look like death." 

"Right.." Andromeda pierces her lips, grimacing at the reminder of her blindness. People tend to forget about her disability, and this forgetfulness tends to be an accidental mistake or a passively aggressive reproach. "Where were we from yesterday?" 

"Something about the interpretation of my name, then I made a remark about you going out with me. You know, I'm not a bad kisser." 

"Not the point, Kaizuma-kun." Andromeda sighs when she recalls why she forgot about their previous conversation. "I thought I told you to behave your age." 

"I'm pretty sure that a high schooler tends to be hormonal and unruly. Am I wrong in my deduction, or are you fantasizing about a perfect world where I, a moronic delinquent, can suddenly escalate in the school ranking and be a gentleman?" Kazuma leans forward in his seat. "I don't think so either." 

"So, I have to assume that you enjoy taunting your elders? Have you no respect for your parents?" Andromeda retorts when she hears his aggressive tone. 

"I don't have parents. I'm more of a pet in the household. They like to keep me around so that I can flaunt their generosity and philantropy. It makes them relatable if you may. As long as the cash lands on my lap, I'm free to do as I please." 

"You live in a sad household." 

"It's quite lonely. Why don't you live with me, sensei? You can keep me warm at nig-" Kazuma yelps in shock when he feels a jolting pain in his foot. 

Andromeda twists her ankle to add more pressure onto his foot with her heel. She wasn't sure how she was going to make her point more clearly, but this seems to be the only way to stop his ridiculous antics. Kazuma pulls his foot back, crouching down to massage the soreness. 

'What's with her and her jabbing heels!' Kazuma glares at the woman with the desire to actually reciprocate the pain. 'Ungrateful brat. I stayed up all night for you, and you bloody stomp your heel on my foot? Spoiled!' 

Andromeda rests her elbow on the desk as she runs her hand through her hair. She releases a strained sigh. Her shoulders lowers being weighed down with the burden of the day, and this is only the beginning. Though she may be plagued with a growing stress, her expression softens to add years on her smooth skin. Kazuma quietly watches her from the corner of his eye. He remembers the night's event, and guilt washes over him. 

"My mother rarely comes home, and my father hates kids. He's only a father in name. My mother's like a memory, but I guess that's why I don't particularly talk about them much." Kazuma mutters with enough audibility for Andromeda to hear. 

Before Andromeda could ask him to clarify his sudden explanation, the bell rings for the commencement of homeroom. Kazuma inwardly thanks the miracle of the bell, getting up from his seat. He really didn't want to linger in the faculty room any longer than he needs to be. 

"See you, sensei." Kazuma waves in departure and closes the door after him. 

"What an asshole." Suki-sensei emerges from her desk to stand next to Andromeda. "I literally had to chain myself to my chair to not punch that boy's face. No discipline, no manners. This is why he is still in school? Ha!" 

"With that kind of upbringing, it would explain much." Andromeda defends. "A child's development depends on the treatment of the parents. If the child is not given that foundation, his outlook to other adults would be one of scorn." 

"It's a good thing that Athena is taught right, huh?" Suki-sensei smiles to her best friend. 

Andromeda nods her head in agreement, flashing a smile at the mention of her beautiful daughter. Athena is a jewel in her life, and she couldn't be more grateful than to be gifted with a tempermental and doting daughter. The reminder of Athena suddenly provokes a wave of sorrow for the male. Takehiko Kaizuma became a delinquent because his parents gave him nothing more than neglect, only showing their concern when his purpose in their life is a showcase for publicity. To have these parents, the pain for a child cannot be fathomed by those who are blessed with a parent's unconditional love. In a way, she pities him. 

\---

"Kaizuma!" A herd of uniformed males hustle in his direction. Kazuma catches the sound of panic in their voices, putting him at alert. "Kaizuma! The classroom, someone trashed it completely!" 

Kazuma creases his brows, not certainly understanding what they are saying but the urgency upon their faces tell him that there is trouble afoot. Hurriedly, he follows the rest of them back to their classroom.

Their description of 'trashed' doesn't entirely portray the condition of the room. 'Annihilated' would be an exaggeration. 

They are already given shabby and badly-used classroom equipments, so the state of the classroom shouldn't be a surprise to outsiders. For the class F boys, their territory has been decimated, destroyed, and ruined. The desks are shattered, piled in a mixture of wood chips and contorted metal. Graffiti paint smears the blackboard, displaying no artistic heart. 'If they were going to use graffiti, they should've made a good illustration.' 

Soaked toilet paper dangle from the ceiling, and paper maché newspaper strips cover the window glass. The atmosphere reeks of rotten eggs and motor oil, which Kazuma assumes that they had mixed as a scent and circulate in their air vents. Glass pieces shattered on top of broken pencils, the remains of the fluorescent lights in their room. 

"Shit. I knew we lived in a pigsty, but there's no need for them to make it so real." A verdurous-haired male chimes with a whistling amusement. 

"If we knew, Akira," A blonde-haired male adds with a perceptive expression on his face. "We wouldn't be standing here and taking this insult." 

"Calm down, Jun. we already know who are the culprits. The only problem now is how are we going to return the favor." An orange-dyed male grumbles as he crosses his arms across his chest. 

"What in blazes happened in here!" Gonzai-sensei examines the damage with a fuming rage. "This is the last straw! To the gym, you morons!" He strikes a few kicks in their direction, hauling them in a single line towards the gym. 

Kazuma glances across the grimaces on everyone's faces, each trying to keep a straight face as they kneel with legs tucked underneath their entire weight and water-filled buckets held at shoulder height in both hands. A cruel but effective method of punishment, the treatment is as close to discipline to the boys as it can possibly be. 

Since they have all been in the same class for almost two years, each one clearly bears unique personalities as well as exotically colored hairs that seem too coordinated to be considered a coincidence. Others sarcastically jeer them for their colorful representation, but sometimes genetics can allow a person to have pink hair as seen in Hideki's case. 

Unlike the other peculiar color selection from the other guys, Hideki proudly wears his pink fauxhawk style. He has the determination to be an aspiring chef like his deceased father, but the desire to be the male head blinds those dreams. Kazuma remembers his bold personality especially the stubborn side that gets him in trouble with the other culinary students. His ideals on food revolves around the taste rather than the display. When Hideki isn't too busy with his innovative cooking, he tends to be the guys' mediator. A level-headed planner is a great attribute to the team. 

Meeko's facial structure gives him an air of a prince with his pretty face, blue Caesar buzz cut, and charming childishness. His childlike personality makes him admirable by the females, and respectable by the males. Kazuma hears rumors of his family background such as the heir of a renowned martial arts dojo, the prodigy son of an underground assassin's society, and the refugee prince of a foreign nation. Only one of those rumors have been confirmed, but Kazuma finds his trustworthy personality as the crowning jewel of their friendship. 

As sleek as his verdant slicked back hair, Akira deems himself an aspiring scholar who wishes to experience the 'truth of life' among the members of class F. His family lives overseas as a means for a better life for him and his siblings who are currently in other countries for their study abroad. His suave aura makes him the perfect distraction and the mad scientist. 

The blonde-headed male with an angular fringe and an attitude is Jun, a resigned dancer who could've gone professionally if an accident had not cost him that chance. Everyone knows about Jun's family and their constant struggle with finances in the slums of the city. The situation became severe to the point that Jun works multiple jobs to aid his parents, but these jobs take great tolls on Jun's body that he rarely comes to classes. Kazuma and Meeko once had to drag Jun back to school, promising him that they would find better tasks for him to handle than the manual labor he endured. His determination earns Kazuma's respect especially when it comes to his advising of their actions. A strategist, a dedication to the cause: Jun can be a force to be reckoned with. 

Kenshin dyes his fade cut silver to match his athletic build. If he wasn't so lethargic during practices, he would've been the starting point guard on the basketball team. Unfortunately, his lethargic ways can be attributed to how carefree his foster family is towards him. He knows that they love him, but their 'love' cannot contain his volatile anger. Aggressive and quick on his feet, he has been designated as the class scout, the face of class F. 

Gentle-hearted Sadao keeps his hair combed over and blazing red. He usually can be seen with Shou, tending to join him in his crazy spirit for adventure. Although he may seem to be a follower, he makes a great leader in designating hiding spots. Whenever someone is in a tight situation, he always finds a way to stowaway the escapee.

Like his black Princeton hairstyle, Seiji is the son of a wealthy family in an overseas business, and the only person in class F with such a high social status. Unfortunately, his grades couldn't match the credentials for him to be a member of class B yet he possesses 'street smarts'. His adeptness in recognizing social cues earns him the leadership authority over the class F members. Though there are times that he shows his prowess over their problems, there are also times when they question why he was their leader in the first place. 

Shou particularly adores his orange Pompadour fashion as much as he adores the exhilaration of fights. It can be understandable in his family background: his parents are lawyers who find pleasure in fights with evidence and words whereas Shou finds satisfaction in physically bashing a person's face in. Although he may be an energetic brawler, Shou definitely is the guy anyone would want to watch his back in a fight. 

If people want to look for the 'big guns' of the group, Yuudai is the guy whom you respect and fear. Kazuma once attended one of his underground cage fights, watching the male brutally pound his opponent into the afterlife. Although Yuudai may be ruffian fighter who earns money in these cage fights, he donates these earnings to support his siblings in an orphanage, Under all the roughness and silence, Yuudai has a heart of gold which Kazuma also witnesses firsthand when he shelters a wounded bluejay from a few rowdy, middle school boys. Only the guys of class F would call the platinum blonde-haired flattop 'the Golden Giant'. 

Kazuma, though, cannot say that he is dashingly handsome but he always keeps his chocolate brown hair simply short for the sake of keeping himself clean especially when dealing with blood spatters. A few light-toned scars litter on his face especially one that jags across his lips to his chin. Personally, he prefers to follow along with the group, but trouble always finds a way to bite him in the ass. 

In all honesty, the guys agree that they are thankful that none of them are sporting purple. Otherwise, they would be part of the fantasy unicorn bike gang, and unicorn bike gangs are not intimidating enough unless they are challenging kindergarteners. They may be thuggish delinquents of different genres, but they aren't thieves who steal candy from children, the toys are more valuable. 

"Learn to cherish what little the school gives you runts! It's actually all we can give to you imbeciles!" Gonzai-sensei thunders, veins popping at the sides of his throats. Half of them wonder how long it would take for one of them to pop from the high blood pressure he was simulating from his hollering. "Now, stay put here until I come back. If one of you drop one of your damn buckets, I will drown you!" 

The metal door slams with an earthshaking rumble. The guys sigh in exhaustion, gently settling their buckets down to rest their shoulders. The little he knows, the better for the rest of them and their muscles. 

"I don't get why we should be appreciative of garbage. They lent us hand-me-downs and recycled desks. Even the paper we write on is recycled from the elementary school bins." Kenshin scoffs as he rolls his shoulders. 

"It's obviously those gutless guys from class B. They don't even have the balls to properly issue a challenge." Shou glares at the ground. His anger stays suppressed inside, but he tightens his fists on his thighs. Shou's desire to fight back fuels his anger to actually act on an impulse. 

"Even if they did, it would be a challenge that they would undoubtfully win. With their credentials and the support of the teachers, they basically have the upperhand." Akira states his perspective while mentally calculating other possibilities of action. "To add salt to the wound, their families are loaded." 

"There is one thing we could do.." Hideki starts, his hand cupping his chin. "I'm certain that they can't refuse. It would be a dent to their clean reputation." 

"Hey, where's Hati?" Meeko points out when he counts the number of members present in the punishment. 

"Don't tell me that he's skipped out again." Seiji angrily exclaims, expressing his dislike towards the mentioned individual. 

"Knowing him, his only priority is his dick." Kazuma sighs. "Oye, Yuudai." Kazuma turns to look at the silent fighter. "You saw him heading to the school, right?" Yuudai slowly nods his head, his crystal blue eyes intently stare into those of Kazuma. "Yeah, I agree with you. He's most likely hiding up there until the afternoon." Kazuma interprets Yuudai's unspoken words for the others to hear. "So, what's the plan, Hideki?" 

"Make a school competition." 

"A school competition." Meeko repeats in a questionable manner. "What good is a school competition?" 

"Like a competition against all the classes." Akira ponders on the idea. "That's actually not bad. It could give us a fair chance at those spineless bastards." 

"Wouldn't that make another stupid decathalon?" Jun sneers at the thought of a battle of wits, which they have minimal knowledge and care. 

"The bigger question, Jun, is.." Seiji leans forward from his kneeling position, his face darkens with serious malice. "How are we going to crush class B for making a fool out of us?"

"With this competition, what would they not know?" Sadao asks while keeping an eye on the door down the hallway for Gonzai-sensei's return. 

"Modern warfare." Kenshin snaps his fingers in realization. "We can start a paintball war." 

"Yeah, yeah. I like where this plan is going." Seiji grins triumphantly. 

"That," Shou waves his index finger. "Or we open fire on those guys when school ends. They pass by the side entrance to ride their bikes." 

"We're going to ambush them." Meeko blatantly deduces from their accumulating ideas. "We're going to do this the easy way? I thought we want them to rue the day that they decided to mess with us." 

"If that's the case," Kazuma leans forward, resting his elbow on his knee. "I think I got the perfect plan." His grin turns devious as he draws an invisible outline on the ground for them to visualize their plan.


	4. Clash of Classes II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a new plan, the boys of Class F rage into battle with their war paints smeared on their hearts. For the teachers, they converse to determine the fate of the school's academics as well as that of the delinquents. Andromeda, though, starts to doubt the role of teachers, the role of society, and the role of leadership.

"Those boys are becoming more problematic each day." Gonzai-sensei runs his hand through his hair, releasing a heavy sigh. "The trimester started seven weeks ago, and they are still obnoxious chimpanzees." 

"A break is coming up soon. They seem overjoyed that excitement possibly is bubbling in their blood." Andromeda remarks, eating a spoonful of her bento lunch. 

"Always kind of you to think on the positive side, but we should be realistic, Andromeda." Suki-sensei comments with more indifference than judgment to the main topic of their lunch break. "Those boys have been more active ever since Kaizuma-kun attended two years ago." 

"Oh, yes. You should've noticed the difference, Andromeda-sensei." Gonzai-sensei adds, finally recalling that this should be her fifth year as a teacher at Hirojima High. 

Andromeda cups her chin when she tries to recollect the events of the past years. The boys of class F persist in their class terrorism, but the aftermath of their destructive behaviors stay confine to only their floor and their class. Once Takehiko Kaizuma enters into the picture, every class seems to be the target of their amusement. 

"I say, we shoot the horse." Suki-sensei nods her head, strong admittance to her words.

"The horse?" Gonzai-sensei stares questionably at Suki-sensei.

"Have you never heard the strategic plan to take down a calvary general?" Suki-sensei takes up a piece of chalk and draws a sketch of a uniformed general on his horse. "The scenario is that you have a strong-willed general leading an army of bloodthirsty soldiers. He sits on his high horse, instructing them with courageous boasts and motivation. If you want the army to lose morale, you shoot the horse." 

"That's stupid." Gonzai-sensei scrunches his nose. "I would've shot the general." He pops a chip into his mouth, crunching on it loudly. "Shooting the general would end the battle more quickly. Shooting a horse would take most of my ammunition. Why would I waste all of my guns on a damn horse when I could take out the man in charge?" 

"Then, you would have someone else take the lead? Anyone can mount a horse and call themselves a general." Suki-sensei rolls her eyes, finding Gonzai's logic quite irrational and in hindsight. 

"It's similar to checkers if you ask me." Andromeda continues her friend's statement. "You have warriors capable f maintaining military prowess, but there is a single individual who has the nerve to take the lives of many in his hands, to command these men, and to lead them towards a goal. Ambition is a remarkable trait, but it is dichotomous. You never know the intention, but the means to the end may be," Andromeda shrugs her shoulders and pierces her lips in thought. "Ambiguous. Leaders are not born, they are called forth. Pawns become kings, and you'll still have massacres arise."

"Which is why you kill the horse first." Suki-sensei puts the clarification into plain words, words that only emphasized her previous argument. 

"So, you want us to shoot what? If we can't punish Kaizuma, then who do we place the blame? Ourselves?" Gonzai-sensei deduces from each of the women's statements. "All I can say is that I have enough of the matter. I cannot be blamed for something that I ave tirelessly lectured on good morals and behavior. If the father even refuses to show his face around this institution other than sending paper checks, then tell me how I am to coerce these delinquents to be grounded." 

"I honestly think that they need an outlet for their abundant energy. They are confined to a location that tests their patience." Andromeda starts when she notices that there is no solution to their problem especially in Gonzai-sensei's comment. 

"Andromeda." Anzo-sensei, a new voice to their conversation, speaks up. "There is no need for them to find an outlet if they receive it after school hours. Their form of an outlet may be inhumane, grotesque, and barbaric. They care about bashing skulls ad proving who is superior in might. They are devolving from our wisdom to savages." He finishes his side of the argument before returning to his planner. "Now, back to the original matter. My planner shows that we have exams two weeks from now, the placement tests. If we wish to make that deadline, I want you all to know that I am planning to give them a science test on the Wednesday of the week before that test date. If you can, Suki-sensei, can you please assign a test on that day as well?" 

"Uh, sure?" Suki-sensei looks questionably at the science professor.

"Lastly, we leave them to rot as we always have, Andromeda-sensei. For the sake of the school and ourselves, let the scums rot to their graves. Their graduation would be a true celebration for both administration and faculty." Anzo-sensei adds, tossing the plastic bag of his sandwich into the waste bin. "Trust me, ladies. It's easier this way." 

"Then, we are failing our duties as teachers, role models, for these youths." Andromeda argues. Her emotions flare at the thought of abandoning students because they are difficult. At this particular state of growth, they are intellectually capable yet troubled by their self-identity. At this stage, they need guidance, not abandonment. The reason for the teacher's resignation to defeat makes them seem weak-hearted and cruel. 

"Not everyone has the answers to everything. You can keep living in your delusional world where everything follows a guideline, but reality is that human nature is spontaneous. It cannot be willed by others, but it acts accordingly to what benefits it." A new voice alerts the other teachers of the vice principal's presence in the room. "With all respect, Andromeda-sensei, those boys are animals, not human beings. They attend this school as chained beasts so that society has no more qualms than it currently does. This is a makeshift prison for them, but also a safe haven." 

"Don't misinterpret this, Vice Principal Koji, but the school could be demolished at the rate that you are leaving them to leisurely do as they please." Suki-sensei reminds the man in charge when the principal attends the conferences abroad. 

"Demolish? What harm could they possibly execute in these facilities?" 

No sooner did the question escape from his lips did the fire alarm blare in urgency. Flashing lights of red and white capture their attention as the fire sprinklers set off its rapid drizzling of frigid water and sand. Array of explosive sounds similar to firecrackers pop briskly down the hallway while screams echo outside in the hallway.

"What the hell is happening around here?!" Gonzai-sensei abruptly slams the sliding door open. 

He charges out into the hallway, unaware of the cluttering of large marbles scattered throughout the open space. Slipping on the balls of mass confusion, he slides across the corridor and trips over a tripwire. Buckets of red liquid pours upon the stranded, bewildered students yet the screaming escalates into shrills from the girls. 

Gunshots fire into an adjacent classroom where pained shouts howl before ten boys covered in pink paint blotches bustle out in desire to escape from the attackers. The entire section of the building looks like an explosion of pop art with walking paintbrushes and distraught dolls. 

"Kaizuma!" Gonzai-sensei booms under all of the paint and broken boards he had crashing into when he skidded on the rolling marbles. 

\---

Kazuma cheers with his companions of amateur soldiers, waving their paintball guns in the air. Even though they may be covered in mud and paint, they accomplished their mission in showing those pompous punks to never mess with their territory, a simple task that they should've heeded in the first place. 

"Now, this is what I call modern warfare!" Shou hoots, smiling triumphantly even with a hint of smugness. "I'll treat everyone to bread from the cafeteria!" To his noteworthy reward, everyone woots with glee. 

"Kaizuma!" They hear a booming roar from behind the sliding doors. 

"Let me handle this." Kazuma slings the strap of his weapon onto his shoulder, situating it to the side for easy maneuver. "Head down the ladder and stash it away. I'll get rid of our traces up here." 

Kazuma helps the guys down their makeshift rope ladder, and cuts loose the knots with his concealed pocket knife. Once they disappeared from his line of vision, he quickly closes the other windows with the exception of one before firing a few rounds of propelled pellets on Gonzai-sensei. The poor bull of a teacher rips the door aside to be bombarded with more assaults, resulting in his collapse on the messy floor. The ground shakes to his thud as a groan follows from the painful impact. 

"Loosen up, Gonzai-sensei. It's a good ol' prank, no?" Kazuma grins mischievously while keeping his paintball gun pointed at his target. 

"Kaizuma, you little runt! I'll beat the hell out of you!" 

"If only you could." Kazuma sidesteps from Gonzai-sensei's reach, and hustles down the hallway with ease despite its disheveled state.'If I could reach the end, I could stow away this gun and probably be home free before Gonzai recovers.' 

"Kaizuma!" 

Before the sound of his name reaches his ears, he feels his weight launching forward after his footing misplaces itself over one another. A strong grip catches his wrist before spinning him around for an over-the-head throw. Back smacked onto the ground, Kazuma's vision spins uncontrollably in an attempt to realign his spatial orientation. Soon, a sharp pain wakes him from his dizziness, causing him to writhe and struggle to free himself. 

"Just because you think you are able to get out of this mess without Gonzai chasing you down, it doesn't mean that I can't manhandle you!" Suki-sensei tugs harder on his twisted shoulder, adding her own weight to hold the culprit down. Years of self-defense taught her to both protect herself and take down troublemakers, which proves quite useful with her tactic on Kazuma. 

"Slacks off the restraints! You're breaking my ar-!" Pain jolts through his nerves, silencing his protests.

"I'll do more than break your arm, punk! This is more than property vandalism! This even exceeds your terrorism!" 

The commotion finally comes to an end where silence falls on the faces of pained, distressed, and annoyed students alike. The vice principal releases the students early except for the convicted, the boys of class F. Punished by cleaning the damage they have caused, the boys are required to stay until they have polished the school from top to bottom. Kazuma, on the other hand, suffers the relentless barrages of lectures from the teachers in the faculty room. 

"This is maddening. He brought a paintball gun to the school and fired it on the boys of class B. What makes you think that there is no consequences? We are talking about parents, the federal police, the Board of Education!"

"There is the vandalism of the school! How are we to get rid of these paint splot?! Wait, isn't a paintball gun considered an illegal weapon on school premises!"

"The girls are traumatized. The stars of the school, the prestigious representation!" 

"You've gone too far this time!" 

Kazuma shifts his gazes between each accuser. There are times that he prefers the inquisitors of the investigation force. They demonstrate brutality and ruthless methods of torture. For these teachers, their childish meanderings bore him. His gaze soon falls on the silent women, who continues to sit still in her seat. Her face expresses contemplation as if she was pondering on the words of her fellow peers. Andromeda raises her hand to clasp onto Suki-sensei's arm. 

"I'll take care of this. I am his new counselor now, so please," She turns her face towards the others. "Take some rest especially you, Gonzai-sensei. You sound pained." 

After a few hesitating seconds, the room empties with only two individuals left in the office. Kazuma takes the opportunity to seat himself in a chair. After all, they kept him kneeling for the past hour or so. Rolling his shoulder to ease the cramping he received earlier, he looks upon the calm demeanor of the female. 

"Why do you do it? Is it entertaining for you?" 

Kazuma raises a brow to her question. 

"To wreck havoc? To make people's lives more difficult? Is it entertaining for you?" 

"You must think that I'm really bored." Kazuma props his chin on the palm of his hand. "You think that we male up all of these elaborate schemes to entertain ourselves? Maybe, we're doing this to prove a point." 

"A point of supremacy? You've already made it." 

"A point of equality." Kazuma sighs an exasperated breath. "You probably have been ignorant as those other teachers, but we're not the trash you can leave along the curb and hope that a dumpster truck will pick us up to take to a dumpsite. We're not scum to be belittled and stomped on. I thought the entire point of an education is to demonstrate and share morals of society, but all we see is another society within the whole. The fact that we are unequal of status and class is degrading, and this is to be our safety net from the real world? Open your eyes and smell the roses, you're killing us, not the other way around." 

"You're not killing us, but you are hindering others from their privilege to learn. You had cast that chance away." 

"Oh? So, we had that chance all along?" Kazuma's voice heightens an octave to express his amusement. "I'm pretty sure that all the broken desks, uneven chairs, and lack of school supplies really assist us in our education to better ourselves. The motivation behind all of these strategies is greatly appreciated." 

Sarcasm glazes his words, emphasizing his distaste to the inequality the others receive. For him, he can dismiss those words as nothing more than empty threats but the others keep these remarks to heart. Day in and day out, the world pits misfortune and an enigma on them, disregarding them and leaving them forgotten. As students, they are only children. As students, they are only people. As students, they are too young to be overlooked as prostitutes and beggars. 

"If you think that you, as a teacher, want to better us as individuals of society, then know that we already are a part of society. We're just showing you exactly what the world has treated us. We're just showing you exactly what we are capable of when we are backed to a corner. We're not taking this any longer. You want us to follow your rules, remember that we bite back. Hard." Kazuma straightens up from his seat, navigating himself aside from the woman. "If you wanted to be a teacher to help all students become the best that they can be, then you should look at yourself first." He closes the door after him, ending their discussion. 

\---

Andromeda sits in her chair, reveling in the hollow stillness. His contention lingers in the air, allowing her to breathe them to mind. She finds some truth to his accusations, finds some agreement to his argument, and empathizes with his voicing of their pains. Guilt washes her conscience when he reviews the conversation with the other teachers. 

What is their purpose in teaching the youth if they intend to leave the delinquents and outcasts from being a part of society? Are they not labeling them into a particular sector in order to stop stressing about their circumstance? Are they, then, turning a cheek and a blind eye in their direction? They are the youth of the future, they are the youth whom many parents have labored to protect and love; in their faces, they are spitting on the values of what these children should mean. She can only imagine what her daughter would have to endure if she was in their shoes; the hurt, the pain, the ridicule: she would wish to bear those burdens upon herself rather than have said innocence corrupted. 

'What can I do though?' Andromeda sifts her fingers through her hair. 'There really isn't much that I can possibly do for them.' She exhales a drained sigh, heaving her shoulders to the invisible weight of the presentiment.


End file.
